What Hurts The Most
by Gryffindor-RikkuChan
Summary: Cloud visits Aerith's grave and realizes what hurts the most for him was losing her. Cloirth Songfic


Yes! I've created a songfic that's just Cloirth. When I first heard this song, I realized how much Cloud was hurt when he watched Aerith die. Disclaimer is I don't own the characters, they belong to SquareSoft and SquareEnix, or the the song, it belongs to Rascal Flatts. I hope you like the ending.

What Hurts The Most

Forgotten Forest, Planet

A slight wind blew through the forest of the Forgotten Forest, clouds darkened in the sky, showing signs of a storm coming, a young man walked through the forest, a freshly picked flower in his hand.

His spiky blond hair blew against the wind, his sea blue eyes, like his face, had no emotion, even though it looked like he was about to cry. If anyone saw him, they would think he would be secretly morning for the lost of someone important to him. He ran his free hand across the bark of the trees he past.

Ahead of him was a large pure blue lake, next to it was a small alter in a small shine, Cloud Strife kneeled down on one knee and placed the flower on the surface of the water. Raindrops started to fall, but Cloud didn't care if he got wet. He closed his eyes and remembered what happened here two years ago. Sephiroth killed her two years ago and this was her grave. Cloud blamed himself for her death. He slammed his fist in the ground, feeling tears starting to come.

Appearing behind him was a woman with long wavy brown hair in a braid and deep beautiful emerald green eyes, her appearance was slightly transparent, but Cloud could feel her behind him. She walked toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck as he started to cry.

"Aerith, I'm sorry…" he said softly.

"For what?" Aerith Gainsborough asked, her voice echoing.

"For letting you die."

When Aerith was alive, everything was so lively and fun, Cloud remembered when he laughed on the roof of the Church and dressing like a girl to save Tifa. But when she died, everything became just so empty.

_I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house  
That don't bother me  
I can take a few tears now and then and just let 'em out  
I'm not afraid to cry every once in a while_

"It's not your fault, Cloud," Aerith said. "Even though I knew I would die, I decided to choose my place of death."

"You don't know how much it hurt everyone!" Cloud shouted. "How much it hurt me! I still can't accept the fact that you're dead! I love you!"

After Aerith died, Tifa tried to get him to accept the fact that she was gone, but he wouldn't accept it until Sephiroth was gone. But even after he killed Sephiroth, he still didn't accept the fact that the one person he loved was gone.

_Even though going on with you gone still upsets me  
There are days every now and again I pretend I'm okay  
But that's not what gets me_

Cloud stood up and walked to a tree, then leaned against it, his head looking up at the sky. His tears mixed the raindrops that fell, Aerith stood up, also looking up at the sky. Cloud slid and fell on the ground, still looking at the sky. Aerith looked at him, a worried look on her face.

"Cloud…" she started. "I love you, too…"

Cloud could still remember the pain he felt when he saw her die, his hands turning into fists. That memory burned in his heart.

_What hurts the most  
Was being so close  
And having so much to say  
And watching you walk away  
And never knowing  
What could have been  
And not seeing that loving you  
Is what I was trying to do_

Cloud thought of how Aerith was the one who truly saved the Planet, he and the others just defeated Sephiroth, but it was Aerith who used the Lifestream to stop Meteor destroying everything and everyone. For the past two years, he lived in regret and pain.

_It's hard to deal with the pain of losing you everywhere I go  
But I'm doin' it  
It's hard to force that smile when I see our old friends and I'm alone_

He didn't notice Aerith disappear, he just wished if he hadn't met Aerith, maybe he should haven't rescued her from Shin-Ra. Whatever he thought, that would mean Aerith would still be alive. It's so hard for him to live with Aerith gone.

_Still Harder  
Getting up, getting dressed, living with this regret  
But I know if I could know it over  
I would trade and away all the words that I saved in my heart  
That I left unspoken_

Cloud stood up and started to left, before he did, something caught his eyes, it was glowing a pale green light. He walked to it and picked it up; it was Aerith's materia, the White Materia, the light of Holy. Cloud smiled, now he has something to remember her.

_What hurts the most  
Is being so close  
And having so much to say  
And watching you walk away  
And never knowing  
What could have been  
And not seeing that loving you  
Is what I was trying to do_

Tifa was shocked to her childhood friend, very wet, when he got back. She quickly got a towel and handed it to him, when she noticed his eyes, they looked little swollen.

"What's wrong, Cloud?" she asked. "Your eyes look swollen."

"I just realized what hurts the most for me," he said.

_What hurts the most was being  
So close  
And having so much to say  
And watching you walk away  
And never knowing  
What could have been  
And not seeing that loving you  
Is what I was trying to do_

The Church, Earth

A young boy sat in a garden of an old church, staring at the ceiling. Cloud Granger Strife sighed. A girl entered the Church; Aerith Potter Gainsborough looked surprised to Cloud sitting in the garden. Cloud saw her, stood up, and walked to her.

"I realized what hurt the most for me was losing you," he said softly. "I will protect you."

He hugged her, Aerith hugged him back, tears streamed their faces as they stood there.

_Not seeing that loving you  
That's what I was trying to do_


End file.
